Somewhat Less Than Perfect
by Shai Nevermore
Summary: Long story short: Hades kidnaps Draco, my husband that I haven't seen for two years and was very surprised to see again considering the fact that I gave our unborn child to the Lord of the Underworld . I set out to kick Hades' butt. Quite simple, really.
1. Huff Puff

Hello again! To those of you who read Just Perfect, don't get too excited. I've been playing around with this for a long time but haven't gotten very far, mostly because life as a music major isn't exactly conducive to writing for fun. However, I thought I would put this up and if I got enough support I might give it a shot. I know I said I wanted to have the story finished before I posted anything, but I've been thinking about it and a lot of the problems in Just Perfect could have been fixed if I had gotten the reviews while I was still writing. For instance, the Mary Sue issue. I definitely should have made it clear from the beginning that Ari's perfections are because of her link to Apollo. Also, I was shooting for Ari to be an almost complete bitch. Nobody likes perfect people, after all. That obviously didn't come through very clearly. While I can't change Ari's character at this point, I was hoping that if I wrote the story with you guys (sort of--you know what I mean) I could make her seem like less of a Mary Sue without giving her a personality transplant. I tried playing up the bitch factor in this chapter (not too hard considering her circumstances) and I also added in a sort of wolfishness gone wrong--I think the idea I had was that she's...not losing control of the wolf but maybe is more affected by it? Anyway, let me know what you think. If you guys think this story is a go, I'll give it my best shot. Just be forewarned: the reason I don't like posting anything before I have a story finished is because I have been guilty of severe story ADD. I might leave it for months or just not finish it at all. But I will do my very very best if you guys think it's worth it.

ps. If you haven't read Just Perfect, I would reccommend doing so before reading this. Also, I'm not JK Rowling. Unfortunately.

My life—a long time ago—used to be perfect. I'm not exaggerating. But you already know this. Or you should, anyway. If you don't, then you shouldn't be reading this story. You should already know that I used to live in a big, fancy house in a big, fancy neighborhood and I used to go to a fancy private school. You should also know that I was damn near perfect and that if I had any faults, it was excessive modesty. That was a joke, by the way. I know I can be a conceited bitch sometimes and I'm okay with that.

I say that I used to be perfect because I've learned a lot about myself since then. For instance, I know now that I'll save my own neck before even thinking about a stranger's. I know that I'll hide and let other people go into danger unless there's no other choice. And I know that I'm a murderer. The murderer of my husband's unborn child, to be exact. Technically, I suppose it was mine, too, but I don't think of it that way because to me it was a parasite. A tapeworm living in my belly. So you see why I can't really think of it as _my_ child. But it was my husband's, oh yes.

I didn't just kill it in cold blood, you know. I gave it to Hades to pay for the entrance of more than a thousand souls into his realm. Yes, Hades. The Lord of the Underworld. If you want to know the gory details, you'll have to read the whole story. I didn't write down my story so people could ignore it. But there is a pertinent piece of information from that episode that you should take note of: you can't cheat death. Especially when death has a slightly skewed view of what constitutes cheating.

See, I thought I was getting off lightly by giving away something I didn't want in the first place. But in giving up the baby, I also gave up my husband. For a long time, he couldn't forget that I had effectively killed his child. He wanted it to be _our_ child, but it was really his. It could never have been mine. For two years, we lived apart. If certain circumstances hadn't prevented us from moving on and forgetting about each other, maybe he wouldn't have come back. I don't know.

But he did come back. It took a couple of years, but he did come back. We should have lived happily ever after and grown old together and all that good stuff. Right? Right. We should have, but we didn't. If we had, I wouldn't be writing this because let's face it: happily ever after really isn't all that interesting.

Now, I bet you're wondering why we didn't get to live happily ever after like we were supposed to. The answer to that: Hades is a dick. When Draco came to find me in America, Hades kidnapped him. Two years wasn't a sacrifice, he told me. If he had known the agony and despair and loneliness that characterized those two years, maybe he would have felt differently, but I guess Hades is as insensitive as every other male in the universe.

And that, my friends, is why I was standing outside a house that looked like it was going to collapse in a heap of toothpicks at any moment. I looked down and read the old wooden sign that drooped crookedly from its post. 'The Burrow', it said. I eyed the glorified shack in front of us and couldn't help but think that it didn't really deserve a name of any kind, even one as unflattering as 'the Burrow'.

"Welcome to the Burrow," my companion said, smiling fondly at that insult to houses all over the world. "Home sweet home."

"Are you sure it's safe, Ginny?" I asked dubiously as we walked up the front steps. The wood creaked ominously under me. "It looks a little—well, not safe."

Out of courtesy to my friend, I didn't say it looked like an abandoned tool shed.

"Don't worry," Ginny replied as she pushed open the door, "it's magic."

Oh. Well, _that_ certainly made me feel better.

"Mum!" Ginny called. "Mum, it's me and Ari. Mum? Dad?"

"Maybe they're not home?" I suggested, looking around.

"In the middle of the summer?" Ginny asked dubiously. "Unless…but I can't think why they would be at Headquarters—the Order has disbanded."

"Maybe we should check anyway," I said. "Harry has been living with Sirius, hasn't he? Maybe they can help us find Ron and Hermione."

"Yeah, alright," Ginny said reluctantly. "Let me just write a note for mum in case she comes back while we're gone."

"Wait," I said suddenly, grabbing her arm. "There's someone upstairs."

"There is? I don't hear anything."

I rolled my eyes. "Wolf ears, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

I probably should have mentioned that I'm a werewolf. A sort of super-werewolf, in fact. I can change whenever I want, as much as I want, silver doesn't hurt me—it does affect my ability to change, though—and my senses are almost as good as a human as they are as a wolf. That's what got me into this whole mess—someone wanted to take advantage of my special abilities. But that's another story.

"It sounds like someone's waking up," I said, listening carefully. "A bed creaking, a couple of footsteps. Right above us."

"That's Ron's room," Ginny told me, heading up the stairs.

I followed reluctantly, not wanting to walk in on her brother doing—anything. Or anyone, I suppose I should say. I wasn't sure, but I thought there might be another person in the room. My suspicions were confirmed when Ginny opened the door and a decidedly feminine shriek came from inside. My curiosity aroused, I peeked over Ginny's shoulder to see her lanky older brother, Ron, standing with a pillow over his private parts and a woman clutching a painfully orange blanket to her breast.

"Are we interrupting something?" I asked dryly.

"Hey, Gin," Ron said in a valiant bid for nonchalance. His ears were the most interesting shade of red I had ever seen on a human being. "Hi, Ari. Nice to see you again."

"Likewise," I said politely.

"Who's she?" Ginny asked with her characteristic forthrightness.

"Oh—er. Ginny, this is Cathy. Cathy, this is my sister, Ginny."

Cathy gave a halfhearted wave that Ginny didn't return.

"What about Hermione?" Ginny asked, looking flabbergasted.

I wonder what that means. Flabbergasted. It's kind of a strange word, if you think about it. I mean, what, exactly, is a 'flabber'? And what does it mean to be 'gasted'? Can you only be gasted? Or can you gast someone, like—

"Gin, you didn't know?"

I abruptly paid attention once more, all thoughts of flabbers and gasting forgotten. Ron looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Know what?" Ginny asked.

"Hermione left me six months ago," Ron said. I thought he didn't look very upset about this.

"Oh, no," Ginny said, a hand flying to her mouth. "Ron, I'm so sorry. Was it—someone else?"

"He didn't tell you?" Ron asked. He was very pale and I could hear his heart fluttering in his chest. "He said—I thought—"

"What are you talking about?" Ginny snapped.

I looked at Cathy and she shrugged. She didn't have a clue what was going on, either. Everyone looked to Ron to see what his answer would be.

"Harry," Ron said, turning instinctively to shield his manly weaknesses. "She left me for Harry."

There was dead silence in the room. I looked at Ginny, wanting to see her reaction. Harry was Ginny's fiancée. Not officially—there was no ring yet—but there was (or had been, I guess) an understanding between them. Ginny went pale. Even her lips had lost their color. She was stark white except for two bright red spots high on her cheeks. Her eyes were glittering dangerously, but her voice was calm and steady when she spoke.

"No, he didn't tell me," she said quietly. She bowed her head for a moment, then looked up. "Where is he?"

"Gin, I think—"

"_Where is he?_"

"At Grimmauld Place," Ron said meekly.

"Let's go, Ari," Ginny said brusquely. "Ron, don't tell Mum I was here."

"Mum and Dad are visiting Bill and Fleur in France," Ron said. "They didn't tell you?"

"No, they didn't tell me," Ginny said, scowling darkly. "No one has been telling me anything, apparently."

"Ginny—"

"See you, Ron."

Ginny brushed by me and stomped down the stairs. I looked back at the pair on the bed and waved cheerily.

"Bye, Ron. Nice meeting you, Cathy."

I met Ginny outside and we walked—well, I walked; Ginny flounced—down the path.

"I don't know what you're so angry about," I commented. "You should have seen this coming a long time ago. I mean, he's visited once in two years and written you maybe six times. You even talked about breaking it off yourself."

"That's not the point," she snapped. "He should have told me."

"He probably could have mentioned it," I admitted. "Just to be sure we're on the same page…you _are _mad at him for not telling you, not for sleeping with someone else, right?"

"Right."

"Okay."

"What," Ginny snapped. "Do you think I'm being _unreasonable_? _Irrational_, maybe?"

"Actually, no," I replied, unperturbed. "I think you're being very sensible. Just try not to damage him too badly, okay? After all, you seemed very adamant that we absolutely definitely need him—and Hermione. Together."

Ginny shot me a look of pure loathing and I choked back my laughter because I love her so very much. We walked past the sad little sign and Ginny shoved her arm in my direction without speaking. I gingerly took her hand and held my breath as the strange, uncomfortable, squeezing feeling that accompanies Apparation overtook we arrived, I took a moment to catch my balance and wait for my stomach to settle before looking up at the huge house looming before us. It wasn't nearly as dark and brooding as it used to be, I reflected. I guess it meant all was well in the house of Black. I was almost sorry to wreck the happiness that Harry had craved for so long. Until I remembered why I needed him, that is. He wouldn't mind. My dear cousin had a tiny—minuscule—hero complex. Just a little one.

I followed Ginny up the steps and inspected my pristine, manicured nails while she fumed and fidgeted. I sighed, looking at my nails. I had a feeling they weren't going to be pristine for very much longer. I would look amazing no matter what happened, of course, I wasn't worried about that—but my nails would probably take a bit of a beating. I hoped Draco realized the sacrifices I was prepared to make for him.

The door opened and a squat, cheerful looking witch beamed up at us. She reminded me of a plump little hen. The resemblance was so striking that an image of myself muzzle deep in fresh chicken popped into my head. I shook the picture out of my head. Tasty though she looked, I couldn't go around eating my friends' household staff. While this particular dilemma hadn't been covered in my etiquette lessons so long ago, I was sure it would be frowned upon by most. Certainly by Sirius; he was very picky about who worked for him and would probably be annoyed at having to find another housekeeper or maid or whatever the hell the little chicken was.

"Come in, come in," Clucky was saying to me (completely ignoring Ginny). "You must be Mrs. Malfoy—oh, I've heard so much about you—"

"I'm sure you have," I said, smiling. "Nothing too terrible, I hope."

"Not at all, madam, not at all," she cheeped. "Right this way, now. If you'll wait in here, the Master will be down presently."

"I don't want to see Sirius, I want to see Harry," Ginny snapped. "Alone."

"I'd like to see Sirius, if you don't mind," I added politely.

"Certainly Madam, right away," the little hen replied, beaming.

"Are you even _listening_ to me?" Ginny demanded. I could practically see the smoke curling out of her ears.

"Now, now, young mistress, no need to get upset," the maid said, clucking disapprovingly. "I'll see if the young Master is anywhere about, don't you worry. Shall I send for some tea, Madam?"

"That would be lovely," I replied, inclining my head graciously.

She waved her wand and a tray appeared on the table. I stared after her as she bustled off, resisting the urge to lick my lips. I was really quite hungry.

"Why, that patronizing _cow_," Ginny fumed. "'Young mistress', indeed! I'm two years older than you."

"If you want to be treated like an adult, you should start acting like one," I said a little sharply, and sipped my tea.

"Oh, shut up," Ginny snapped. "As if you weren't throwing a royal tantrum just an hour ago."

"I don't see the need to explain myself to you, _young_ _mistress_," I said coolly. "But just for the sake of argument—my husband has been kidnapped by the Lord of the Underworld whereas you have been dumped. I hardly think the two situations are comparable."

"You can be such a wretched, condescending hag sometimes, do you know that?"

"Yes, I do know that," I said. "Unfortunately for you, I'm also right. You _are_ acting like a child and I'd appreciate it if you could pretend to be a mature adult at least until Harry and Sirius get here."

Ginny subsided into sulky silence and I stared broodingly at the portrait of Sirius hanging over the fireplace. It must have been new—relatively new, anyway. After all, he had been trapped in the Underworld for about seven years until I got him out two years ago. It hadn't cost me anything, really—I handed over another man's soul to Hades in return for Sirius'. Before you think I'm a total bitch, let me remind you that this man was Ira Bellum, a murderous, perverted maniac bent on marrying me and breeding nasty, evil little mutant werewolves for the Dark Lord's use.

My ears perked up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Three sets of footsteps—and one of them was lighter than the other two. Oh, my. This should be interesting. I was still wondering whether to warn Ginny when the door opened on Sirius, Harry, and Hermione. I stood up with a genuine smile. In spite of everything, I was glad to see them.

"It's good to see you, Ari," Hermione said, kissing my cheek, and made way for Sirius.

"Hallo, lass," Sirius greeted me, giving me a bear hug that left me gasping for breath. "It's been too long. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Nothing good," I said bluntly, straightening my blouse. "We need to talk—"

"Harry," Sirius interrupted. "What's gotten into you?"

Harry was standing in the doorway, staring at Ginny. He had gone stark white—whether from shock, fear, or both, I don't know. Probably both, I decided, glancing at Ginny. She looked ready to murder him on the spot.

"Ginny?" Hermione began tentatively. "I know you must be upset, but you have to believe us—we didn't expect—"

"Hermione," Ginny said through clenched teeth. "Shut. Up."

Hermione crossed her arms huffily and something on her hand glinted in the torchlight. "Now, really, Ginny—"

"What is that," Ginny demanded, her head snapping her Hermione's direction. She was almost as pale as Harry, now.

Hermione stretched out her left hand reluctantly. "My engagement ring."

There was about thirty seconds of silence in which we hardly dared to breathe. Then Ginny seemed to tear her gaze away from Hermione's ring and back to Harry, who looked like he would be quite happy to crawl into a hole and die.

"Harry," Ginny said calmly. "May I have a word in private?"

"S-sure, Gin," he said nervously, flattening his bangs.

"Let's go outside. To the garden, perhaps," she suggested acidly.

Harry gulped and I vaguely remembered Ginny telling me that he had declared his undying love for her in the garden of Grimmauld Place. Ginny stalked out of the room and Harry crept after her, looking like a puppy who'd just piddled on the rug.

"Hmph," Hermione said, crossing her arms. "Honestly. I understand why she's upset, but—"

"Actually, you don't," I said. "She didn't find out about you two until about twenty minutes ago."

"What? But Harry said he'd straightened it all out," Hermione protested.

"Well, he lied," I said with a shrug.

Hermione scowled, pursing her lips. I almost felt sorry for Harry.

"Anyway," I said hastily, cutting Hermione off. "I didn't come just to visit—though I probably should have before now. I need your help."

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, diverted.

"It's Draco," I said tightly. "Hades kidnapped him. I want him back."

"Draco?" Hermione asked tentatively. "Didn't you two—er—split up?"

"He came back," I said shortly.

"Look, if you want our help, you're going to have to give us more than that," Hermione said firmly.

I looked down for a moment, fighting off painful memories.

"Sirius, you once said you weren't brave enough to ask how I got you out of the Underworld," I said. "And—and how I convinced Hades to let the lost souls enter. Why Draco's gone—it all has to do with that."

"Go on," Sirius said with a nod.

"Your case was simple enough—I traded Ira Bellum's soul for yours. He deserved to be there and you didn't. Hades was happy enough with the trade. But for the lost souls…he said I would have to give up the ta—the baby."

Hermione gasped. "Oh, no…Ari…"

"If I had known I wouldn't have let you do it," Sirius said, looking ill. "I wouldn't have let you murder an innocent child for my sake. How could you, Ari?"

"But she saved thousands of souls from eternal torment," Hermione argued. "I think it was noble and selfless and--"

"No," I said gruffly, jerking her hand off my shoulder. "You don't understand. I was glad to give it up. I never wanted it, never meant for it to happen. If it weren't for Draco I would have found a way to get rid of it. It wasn't a sacrifice—it was a convenience. As for the lost souls...if I hadn't been pregnant, if I'd had only my own life to trade, they'd still be waiting on the banks of the River Styx."

"Ari, why are you saying such awful things?" Hermione asked, clearly upset.

"So you know what happened—why Draco left me. The baby wasn't the actual sacrifice—it was Draco. He was furious. He said he didn't know if he could forgive me and I said I wouldn't spend the rest of my life trying to earn his forgiveness for something I had to do. So he left. Or I left—whatever. But then he came back and Hades took him. He said two years isn't a sacrifice."

Sirius and Hermione stared at me, speechless. I guess wizards aren't quite as forgiving of abortion as the liberals of the US.

"You are tainted," Sirius said, very quietly and seriously. "I can't believe you would do such a thing, Ari."

"That's a little harsh, Sirius," Hermione protested. "I can't say I agree with her choice, but--"

"You don't understand, Hermione," Sirius interrupted. "The taking of a life is a serious act in any case, but it also has serious magical consequences. Ari's soul is tainted—damaged. Think of how Horcruxes are made. Sometimes the sacrifice is necessary—that is why we honor the heroes of war; because not only did they fight to protect us but also willingly and knowingly incurred damage to their souls. To throw away life as a convenience...I'm ashamed to be here today if that is why."

"Well, good for you," I snapped. "I brought you back for Harry's sake, not yours. And the only part of my soul that's missing is the one with my husband, thank you very much. So if we could move on..."

"On to what?" Hermione asked. "I mean, if he's dead..."

"Who said he was dead?" I said impatiently. "I said he was kidnapped by the Lord of the Underworld, not that he was dead. I'm going to find him, and I need help."

"Um...how?"

"I'm going to find Apollo and ask him to plead my case before Zeus," I replied. "He's something like my patron; he might help me. It's an incredibly long shot, but I have to try. Ginny says we need you and Sirius. And Harry."

"Of course we'll help," Hermione said promptly. "Won't we, Sirius?"

"I want it understood that I am not doing this for your benefit," Sirius said after a moment's thought. "Frankly I think you deserve it. I'm doing it for Draco—because I know what it's like down there and no one deserves that."

"I don't care why you're doing it," I said harshly, mostly to hide how much his words hurt. "I just want my husband back."

"Do you have any idea how to find Apollo?" Hermione asked, and I could practically see her put on her Thinking Cap. "I'm assuming if you could just call him up you wouldn't be here."

"Yeah, pretty much," I sighed. "Hermes said I'd have to go to him since I'd basically be asking him to defy his father—not something you do at the drop of the hat and 'calling him up' with such a demand wouldn't put him in the best of moods. We're talking about gods here—they would refuse to grant a cookie for less reason than that. Anyway I asked Hermes and he went all Mysterious and Godly on me. All he said was that I have to sail east from Delos, following the dolphins. Then I have to follow the hawk to the snake, who will direct me to the griffon, who will carry me to Apollo's palace."

"That's all?" Hermione asked with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah," I said glumly, and sighed again. "I'm sorry. Nothing is straightforward when it comes to gods. I don't suppose you can make anything of it?"

"Well, I see why we'll need Harry," Hermione murmured. "As for the rest of it—I haven't got a clue. The directions themselves are very straightforward. Actually following them, on the other hand… we need to go to Hogwarts and do some research."

"Research on what?" I demanded. "Research won't help anything."

"Maybe the animals in the directions are symbolic or associated with certain places or--"

"You don't get it," I interrupted. "That's not how these things work. You don't get to plan it out in advance. All you can do is recognize what you have to do when the opportunity presents itself."

"That is ridiculous," Hermione said flatly. "How can you possibly--"

"Didn't you learn anything from two years ago?" I demanded. "Nothing ever happens directly. When gods give you directions, it's not exactly Mapquest. You get a dream or prophecy or a set of convoluted instructions that don't make sense until the right moment. It's the mortal's job to recognize the moment when it comes. Trust me, research will not help."

"Maybe not, but at least we can be prepared for whatever we meet along the way," Hermione said stubbornly.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Hermione--"

"I am not going to go on some wild goose chase across the Mediterranean without knowing what I'm up against," Hermione said firmly. "If you want my help, you will do this."

"But there's no _time_--"

"Ari," she said gently, "I know you're scared and upset but do you honestly think a few hours or even a day will make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things? This could take weeks, months..."

"Fine," I growled, and stood up. "We'll go to Hogwarts. Let's rescue Harry and get out of here."

"Wait," Hermione protested. "We have to pack clothing and provisions—"  
"No need," I interrupted. "We'll be sailing with my cousin and he doesn't have

a lot of room on his ship for luggage. Besides, you'll be much more comfortable in the clothes he has for us."

"If you say so," Hermione said dubiously. "Still and all…we can't just—leave."

"Yes, we can," I said firmly. "In fact, that's exactly what we're doing. Oh, after we grab Ron. Ginny says we need him too. Given the present circumstances, however, I think it would be better for all involved if he stayed home. I mean, one angry ex is bad enough, isn't it?"

Hermione shuddered. "Probably, yes. I'm sure he'd rather stay with Cathy, anyway."

"No, I wouldn't," Ron said, appearing in the doorway. Then Cathy appeared and punched him on the arm. "I mean, Cathy is coming, too."

"No, she's not. And you're not, either," I said. "No offense, either of you, but like I said—my cousin doesn't have a whole lot of room on his ship. And neither of you is essential to this mission, to be quite honest."

"Cathy can hold her own," Ron insisted stubbornly. "And Harry and Hermione need me."

"Harry and Hermione are big kids now, Ron," I informed him. "I need specific people with specific talents, not a soap opera. It'll be unpleasant enough with Harry and Ginny on the same boat without adding another ex. And, anyway, you have no specific talents. Sorry."

"Ari is right, Ron," Hermione said gently. "There's no reason for you to go—you shouldn't risk your life for no reason. Stay here and enjoy your time with Cathy."

"But I can help," Ron argued, flushing angrily. "I'm not completely useless, you know—"

"But neither are you particularly use_ful_," I shot back impatiently. "This is not a discussion, Weasely. We are not negotiating. As soon as I'm sure Ginny hasn't killed or maimed Harry, we're leaving. And you are not coming with us."

"Ron, if you really want to help, keep yourself handy to research any questions we might have," Hermione suggested. "I'm sure we'll come across plenty of things that need answering. I can contact you with a Link Charm."

Ron opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled. We'll just grab Harry and Ginny and we'll be off like a prom dress."

They all stared at me blankly.

"Never mind," I said impatiently. "Let's go."

"Now, listen here—"

Something inside me snapped. Maybe it was my natural intolerance for idiots or maybe it was a misplaced urge to hurt someone (namely Hades), but something definitely snapped. I was across the room in three steps and had him slammed against the wall before he could blink. As tall as he was, it didn't take much to keep him there; the razor sharp claws extending from my fingertips were enough.

"Now," I said pleasantly. "What were you saying, Weasely?"

The tall redhead stared down at me disbelievingly and tried to swat my hand away. He stopped the motion abruptly as I pressed my claws a little harder into his neck. They didn't quite break the skin, but it wouldn't take much.

"Ari, what are you doing?" Hermione cried. Sirius stood and pointed his wand at me, but he couldn't do anything without risking Ron.

I ignored them both. "Weasely, what were you going to say?"

"Nothing."

"What are you going to do now?" I squeezed just the slightest bit. He held very still.

"Go home."

"Good." I released him. "Get out. Now."

"God," he breathed, rubbing his neck. "What happened to you?"

"Weren't you going?"

He went. I turned around and raised an eyebrow at the shocked expressions on Hermione and Sirius' faces.

"So," I said briskly. "Let's get the show on the road."

"Ari—"

"You can yell at me later, Hermione," I said. "We're leaving."

so what do you think? Review please!


	2. Pwned

Ok so I received a bunch of intermittent reviews but some were so nice that I was moved to give this another shot. Like I said before, don't get your hopes up. BUT note that if I get lots of super cool reviews--especially with ideas and suggestions--I am much more likely to keep going. So review!! Also, I'm not JK Rowling and anything that you recognize as hers isn't mine.

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Hogwarts. Never in a million years did I expect to ever set foot in that place ever again. I first saw it two years ago when Draco came to offer himself to the Order of the Phoenix in the war against Voldemort. As a former Death Eater assassin, we were not at all sure of what kind of reception we could expect, even if we did have vital information. The essentials of that situation are as follows: I discovered that Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived To Annoy Everyone, was my cousin (gag); I taught Muggle Studies to nasty teenagers who positively oozed magic while I had none (at least none that was at all helpful—eating or maiming students was against school policy); I found out I was pregnant (and promptly fainted and fell down a flight of stairs); I left on a top secret mission (and by secret I mean everyone and their mother knew about it) to the Underworld to bring back Sirius—oh, and buy passage into Hades' kingdom for the lost souls, using my unborn child as coin; In the final battle I lost Christo, my stupidly brave cousin who volunteered for a fight that had nothing to do with him…and I told Draco about the baby and he dumped me. Or we broke up. Or whatever.

Needless to say, it was not a place I associate with happy memories. And yet here I was. Again. At least this time I wasn't arriving as a beggar with my hand out or as the wife of a traitorous murderer. I just hoped whatever Hermione had to do wouldn't take long. Being around wizards made me nervous—as a werewolf, I'm sort of an honorary member of the magical community but I have barely any magical ability outside of Greece. In Greece I'm kind of the shit. But more on that later.

"How long are we going to be here, exactly?" I asked more or less pleasantly.

"We'll leave in the morning," Hermione promised. "I have to look through the library and decide what books I'll need. I'm assuming there will be plenty of time to read on the journey?"

"Yeah," I said. "You and Ginny and I will have more time than we know what to do with. Harry and Sirius will be expected to work with the crew, though."

"What?" Harry asked, surprised. "But I've never been on a ship before in my life."

I remembered Draco struggling with his inexperience and the crew's hazing and smirked. It had ended with Draco losing it and beating the living hell out of one of the sailors. Somehow I doubted Harry would even notice the hazing, having absolutely zero facility with languages, but the flip side was that he would have a much harder time learning to be a sailor. Either way, I didn't envy him. Ginny and Hermione and I would have a much more enjoyable experience.

"Think of it as a character building experience, Harry. Maybe you'll even learn something," Ginny said in an admirably insincere tone of consolation. "Like responsibility or common decency."

"From a bunch of sailors? Unlikely," I said apologetically. "But he will be verbally and physically abused, if that makes you feel any better."

"I'll take it," Ginny said, looking decidedly more cheerful.

"Not that he'll understand any of the verbal abuse, but there's still the backbreaking labor and blistering heat," I said. "What about you, Sirius? How are your language skills?"

"I take it none of them speak English?" Sirius asked resignedly.

"None but Kalias," I told him.

"Well, I've been through worse," he sighed.

It must be kind of comforting, in a really depressing sort of way, I reflected. There's definitely something to be said for knowing that, whatever life throws at you, it can't be as bad as being stranded on the banks of the River Styx for eight years. Being dumped really didn't compare. Even losing Christo… after all, I knew that if he wasn't awarded a place in the Elysian Fields, he would at least drink from the river Lethe so his soul could be reborn. In the grand scheme of things, it could have been a lot worse. Losing my husband to Hades…well, that might compare, depending of course on the outcome of the rescue mission.

"Well, let's do this," I muttered. "Can I hide in the bathtub until we leave?"

The one thing I missed about living in a high-end wizarding establishment was the all-around awesomeness of the bathing facilities. Bathtubs like modestly sized swimming pools complete with bubbles the size of your head, showerheads big enough to create a spray that encompassed your whole body, enchanted soaps and shampoos…it was pretty fantastic. Ginny and I did well for ourselves, but stuff like that is costly even for wizards.

"No, I need you in the library in case I have questions," Hermione said. "I want to know what we'll be up against."

"I don't _know_ what we'll be up against," I said with a sigh of exasperation. "Which is why research is pointless. Which you would remember me telling you if you weren't such a stubborn know-it-all."

"I remember perfectly well," Hermione said coolly. "I remember ignoring you, too."

I said nothing but glared angrily at the enormous oak doors that led to the entrance hall. Hermione tapped the doors with her wand, smiling fondly as they swung open to reveal Hogwarts in all its dank, dreary glory. I didn't know what the others were all grinning about. It was dark and depressing, with barely any windows and few torches. You'd think that with all their magic they'd be able to get better lighting. But what did I know? Maybe it was a rule among wizards that everything had to be suitably mysterious and witchy.

"Hermione, Harry, what brings you here during holiday? And—why, it's Miss Weasely and—goodness, it's Professor Malcolm! And Sirius Black!"

"Hallo, Filius," Hermione said, smiling at the funny little man who stood beaming up at us.

"Hello, Professor," I said. "It's good to see you again."

"Indeed, my dear, indeed," he squeaked. "Such a shame you didn't stay longer. What brings you to our humble school?"

"The library," I replied shortly, quickly becoming impatient with pleasantries.

"We're leaving tomorrow on a…project," Hermione said. "I wanted to do some research before we head out. We'll be staying the night."

"Of course, my dear, of course," Professor Flitwick said. "Your guests may stay in Gryffindor tower. Won't that be fun, to revisit your childhood dormitories!"

"Quite right, Professor," Sirius said with a smile.

Ginny was smiling too, looking genuinely excited. I rolled my eyes. Two of Ginny's brothers had died here. Nearly all Sirius's friends from his school days were dead. What warm, fuzzy memories could possibly overshadow that? I sure as hell don't remember high school being all that wonderful. Then again, most of my time in high school had been spent grooming myself for Ivy League. The fact that I had never gotten to go to college or even apply properly still rankled a little bit.

"I'm going to head right to the library," Hermione announced, and suited actions to words.

"I'd better go with her," Sirius muttered, hurrying after her.

"Are you hungry at all?" Professor Flitwick inquired. "I can have food sent to your rooms whenever you wish."

"Please," I said, suddenly ravenous.

"Excellent," Flitwick said, beaming. "I'll just—"

"No need, Filius," Harry interrupted. "We'll just head down to the kitchens. I'd like to see Dobby and Winky."

"Very good, very good," Flitwick said. "I'll be off, then. You know where to find me if you need anything."

"Thanks," Harry said. "Is Professor McGonnagal here?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Flitwick told him. "She's on a much deserved holiday in the Carribean."

"…oh."

Flitwick wandered off, humming to himself. Oh, indeed. I thought of Minerva McGonnagal's scrawny, wrinkly, god-only-knew-how-old body in a bathing suit and shuddered. Some things just shouldn't be allowed.

"Are we going to go eat or what?" I said impatiently, my appetite surprisingly undiminished by the unwanted mental image of McGonnagal's prune-like ass in a string bikini. "If I have to be here, you might at least feed me."

"Ari, you need to chill out," Ginny snapped. "Being a bitch is not going to get us out of here any faster."

"Hah," I scoffed. "Shows what you know."

"Let's just go, shall we?" Harry suggested nervously.

Harry led us through the dark halls of Hogwarts, smiling almost mistily. All of this nostalgia was really beginning to get on my nerves. Harry and Ginny were even speaking somewhat civilly as they commented on this classroom or that statue or tapestry. When we stopped in front of a huge painting of fruit, I nearly throttled them until Harry scratched at the pear. Then my attention was diverted by the high-pitched giggle that sounded as the painting swung forward to reveal the entrance to the kitchens. It was even more impressive than the one at Greenwood.

"HARRY POTTER SIR!"

"Hello, Dobby," Harry gasped, tugging at the house elf clinging to his middle. "Hi, Winky."

"Hello Mr. Harry," another one—female—said. "Is good to sees you. And you, Miss Ginny."

"It's good to see you, too, Winky," Ginny said. "I don't think you've met our friend Ari. She's Harry's cousin, you know."

"Harry Potter's cousin!" Dobby gasped, releasing Harry and bowing to me. "Dobby is most honored, Miss."

"I is pleased to be meeting you, Miss," Winky said, bobbing a curtsy.

"Miss Ari?" a tiny voice inquired. "It is! Miss Ari!"

"Cinders!" I cried, my irritation forgotten. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"There is not many works is needing done at Malfoy Manor with Master Draco away, Miss Ari," Cinders squeaked. "I is working at Hogwarts part-time. I is even paid!"

"Is that—er—unusual?"

"Not anymore," Ginny said proudly. "Hermione's changed a lot of minds about the enslavement of house elves."

"You're Draco's _slave_?" I asked, aghast.

"No, no, Miss," Cinders said, shaking her head vigorously. "Cinders was Master Sebastian's slave. Now I is Master Draco's trusted servant and employee of Hogwarts."

"Oh," I said uncertainly.

"Not all house elves is getting paid," Winky sniffed, giving Cinders and Dobby dirty looks. "_Some_ is still proper house elves."

"Some is old-fashioned and backwise," Dobby said, sticking his nose in the air. "Times is changing, Winky."

"Is you loving Master Draco again, Miss?" Cinders asked, tugging on my skirt. "Is you coming home to make babies now?"

"Cinders, I never stopped loving Draco," I said, tears stinging my eyes. "But now he's in trouble because of me, and I have to save him. That's why we're here."

"Master Draco in trouble?" Cinders gasped.

"He was taken by Hades because he came back to me," I said, feeling wretched. "We're here because Hermione needs to use the library. Then we're going to go find him."

"Then Cinders will come with you," Cinders said resolutely. "You is needing someone to take care of you."

"Cinders—"

"Master Draco is wanting it so," Cinders informed me.

"I—what? How do you—"

"I is his _trusted_ servant," Cinders said, very much affronted. "House elves is always knowing what our Masters is wanting."

"Cinders, it's too dangerous," I argued. "I can't ask you to—"

"You is not asking," Cinders pointed out. "Nor is I. I is telling you. You is Master Draco's wife and I is taking care of you."

"Give it up," Harry muttered in my ear. "She could cause serious damage to herself or even to you if you try to stop her. Dobby nearly killed me my second year while trying to protect me."

"We'll talk about it later," I said, unwilling to admit defeat. "Can we get some food? I could eat a cow whole."

Little did they know that I meant it quite literally. Harry, anyway. The look Ginny gave me suggested that she suspected the truth. The idea of a whole—raw—cow was much more appetizing to me than either of them would be comfortable with.

"Of course, Miss," Winky said, gesturing imperiously.

Carts laden with food zoomed toward us, propelled by houselves. Some were dressed in bizarre outfits like Dobby or in neat skirts and blouses like Winky and Cinders, but most wore only tea towels wrapped around their small bodies like togas. I made a mental note to ask Ginny later before I fell on the food. I hadn't eaten since the night before and the stress of having my husband snatched away the moment we were to ride off into the sunset had taken its toll.

Afterward, Harry asked the elves to wrap up from food for Hermione, causing Ginny to narrow her eyes dangerously at this show of solicitousness. Harry beat a hasty retreat to the library, dragging me along and leaving Ginny to fume by herself. Although amused at first by Hermione's single-minded pursuit of knowledge, I quickly grew irritated when it became apparent that she didn't need me at all. She would ask me to explain a custom or where a certain plant could be found or what a word meant and then go "double check" my answer in five different books. Eventually I left after a not-entirely-civil exchange between Sirius and myself and slipped out of the castle.

I changed in a shadowed alcove and set out across the ground, feeling as if I'd shed a weight across my shoulders along with my human skin. Maybe Hermione wouldn't be so uptight all the time if she could leave her human form and human cares for a while, as I could. I thanked the gods every day for the random genetic mutation that turned the curse that plagued so many wizards into a beautiful gift. But then, who knew? Maybe it wasn't random at all but one of the many gifts given me by my patron, Apollo. Almost all my talents and virtues were his as the god of light, prophecy, intellectual pursuit, music, dance, medicine, physical beauty, and excellence in general. It would make sense if my lycanthropy 2.0 came from him as well—wolves are sacred to Apollo. Swans and dolphins are, too, but a suppose a were-swan would be harder to pull off (gods usually can't act directly in the mortal realms).

I entered the Forbidden Forest with an odd sense of apprehension. I didn't remember these woods being so…well, forbidding. I certainly didn't remember it being this quiet, either. I remembered the forest teeming with weird, chittering creatures both by day and by night. Silence in a forest invariably meant danger—but of what sort? Was it something bad enough to trouble a werewolf? Maybe, maybe not. But as much as a good ass kicking might help my present mood, it would be a whole lot less satisfying if I ended up on the receiving end. Better to go raid Hagrid's chicken coop or terrorize Fang or something.

I slowed and came to a stop, lifting my nose to sample the breeze. I didn't smell anything odd, or hear anything. But then, I was mostly a stranger to this forest and wouldn't know what was out of place and what wasn't. I turned and loped back the way I came, trying to ignore the growing prickle between my shoulder blades. Something was seriously not right. I picked up the pace until I was almost at an all-out sprint.

As I leaped over a fallen log, my half-formed fears were confirmed as something smashed into my side mid-air. I landed hard with my attacker on top of me, ripping at my neck and shoulders in its attempt to get at my throat. I yelped and squirmed, wheezing as I tried to regain my breath which had been banished by the fall. I finally twisted free and scrambled to my feet to face my attacker. It was a huge, bearlike creature with flashing eyes. I blinked, and a wolf, just as huge, stood in its place. Then a panther, then a spider, then a troll. The only thing that remained constant was the eyes.

_How do I fight this?_ I thought despairingly. I couldn't run, that was clear. It would only expose my back to the thing. And the neck kept shifting shape and shifting position. As I stood there panting, the beast lunged at me. I skipped away and snapped at it, but it was more a knee-jerk reaction than an attack. It collected itself more quickly than I thought possible and closed its jaws on my hind leg. I howled in pain and fear, ripping at the monster's face with my fangs. The angle was all wrong—my own body was getting in my way.

The monster growled and jerked his head. Pain exploded in my leg and I heard an ugly snapping sound as the bone broke. I let out a sound I hadn't known a wolf could make. The beast let go of me and I dragged myself away in a futile attempt to avoid those monstrous, ever-changing jaws, snarling impotently. The monster loomed over her, ready to make the killing stroke, but hesitated. Through the haze of pain and fear I was vaguely aware of the deep barking of a dog. It was coming closer awfully fast.

The monster turned to meet its new attacker, which bowled it right over. Unfortunately, the thing landed on top of me all over again. The pain was so great that I blacked out. I'm not sure how long it was. It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes because I heard the beast crashing away through the forest. Someone was leaning over me, poking and prodding my body. I growled feebly in protest.

"Harry, get back to the castle and fetch Madame Pomfrey. I don't think it's safe to move her—some of her ribs are broken and could puncture a lung. Ari, if you can hear me, _do not change_. It's not safe."

Well, duh, I thought. Anything that can bounce my ass around like a basketball would make mincemeat of a defenseless human. Not safe. Clearly.

"Ari, I'm going to cast a spell to put you to sleep, okay?" a softer, female voice told me. Hermione? "It will help with the pain and keep you immobile while Madame Pomfrey takes care of you."

Nice of you to ask, I reflected woozily. It's not like I can say no. When I woke, I was in the hospital wing. The last time I was in here, I had just fallen down a flight of stairs upon discovering that I was pregnant. I then asked Madame Pomfrey if there were any sort of abortion potion available. Madame Pomfrey didn't like me much. I stood up on the bed and shook myself vigorously, noting with certain satisfaction that I had left a wealth of coarse gray hair on the pristine sheets. I then sat and scratched behind my ear with a wonderfully whole and strong leg.

"Lovely," Madame Pomfrey muttered as she pulled aside the curtain around the bed. "Now that you're awake, I would be most obliged if you would change back, Madame Malfoy. This is a hospital wing, not a veterinary clinic. I have some replenishing potions for you."

I merely growled at her and circled several times, pawing at the pillows until they were arranged to my liking. I flopped down with a sigh—I was still quite tired—and gazed up at her insolently through yellow eyes. I don't like you either, you self-righteous twat, I thought at her.

"Really," Madame Pomfrey huffed. "There's no need to be so difficult. I suppose a little gratitude is too much to hope for. Life doesn't mean very much to you, as I recall, although I had thought you might place slightly more value on your own."

Madame Pomfrey flounced away and I closed my eyes with a grateful sigh. I spent the remainder of the day napping, waking only to growl at Madame Pomfrey when she came around with her potions. Eventually Hermione and Harry came and tried to make me transform and I growled at them, too. Then Sirius came and pointed a wand at me and I growled at him, too—from under the bed. I didn't want to be frail and human just yet. In fact, I didn't want to be human again until we were safely in Greece. Too bad I couldn't tell them so.

"This is ridiculous," Sirius muttered, and suddenly the two feet I could see next the bed were replaced by four.

A large, shaggy head lowered and peered at me, whuffling quietly. I rumbled deep in my chest glaring back and scooting slightly backwards. I held his gaze uneasily for a few long moments, wondering what he was looking for. Eventually he raised his head and two feet in scuffed shoes appeared once more.

"Fine, then, I'll get you a bowl for your potions," Sirius muttered, and trudged away.

The bowl arrived in the hands of Ginny Weasely, who looked amused and more than a little pleased with herself. The bowl she carried had "Fido" scrawled across the side. Very funny, Ginny. She set the bowl down on the floor and sat on the bed, grinning at me. I ignored the bowl and hopped up to join her instead. I lay down next to her and put my head in her lap to be scratched.

"You know, this is the first time I've seen your wolf form since the battle," she remarked as she scratched behind my ears. "I think I like you better this way. You shut up for once. You should drink that potion, you know. It will make you feel better."

I grunted skeptically in response.

"Well, whatever, it's your body," Ginny said with a shrug. "Sirius says you're pretty shaken up by that thing—that that's why you won't change back."

I lifted my head and looked at her, wondering how in the world Sirius could know something like that. Is that why he had changed to his Animagus form? But still, how had he done it? I cocked my head to the side, hoping it would convey my confusion to Ginny. It did.

"Don't ask me," she said, holding her hands up. "It's something to do with how he spent a long time as a dog when he first escaped Azkaban. But you know—we would be able to make you feel better about whatever's scaring you if you would change back."

I put my head back in her lap, wishing I could tell her that I just wanted to go home. She was right—it would be a simple thing to just change, insist that we get going to Greece, and change back. But somehow I couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't _want_ to be human. Somewhere, deep in my core, I was too shocked and scared to even consider it. Once I was in Greece, where I had my magic and the protection of the gods, then maybe I would come out. Maybe Cinders could—

"Miss is needing Cinders?"

Nice. Well, that answers that question. That comment she'd made about always knowing what their masters wanted had made me think of it. And, while I wasn't sure whether or not I counted as her master, I was her master's wife, which apparently counted for something. I thought hard at her about what I wanted and she frowned at me.

"Poor Miss," Cinders murmured. "Miss should also be summoning me as soon as Miss woke. And Miss should take her potions."

"Cinders?" Ginny asked. "Can you understand Ari?"

"Cinders knows what Miss is wanting," Cinders replied, not exactly answering the question. "Miss Ari is wanting to go home to Hellas. Miss won't change here."

"Why wait until we get to Greece?" Ginny wondered, then snapped her fingers. "You mentioned once having the protection of the gods. Is that it?"

I wagged my tail, pleased that she remembered. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You are such a wimp. I'll go tell the others."

I turned my back, grumbling.

"Miss Ari is having been hurt," Cinders said hotly. "Sicki-o-chical trauma is having severe magical effects, most _specially_ with inside magic. You will not mock Mistress."

"Inside magic?" Ginny asked curiously.

I was curious, too. Did Cinders mean old magic?

"Yes, inside magic, without wand," Cinders said impatiently as she set the bowl in front of me and gestured emphatically. "Drink, Miss Ari, you must drink your potion."

"Harry can do some wandless magic," Ginny said. "Is that the same as what you're talking about?"

"No, no," Cinders said, shaking her head. "Even without wand, magic is coming from outside. Other magic—elf magic, goblin magic, such like—is coming from inside. Some big people is using it too, like Miss Ari and Old Nan."

"Who's Old Nan?"

"Old Nan is taking care of Master Sebastian when he is young," Cinders said, pushing the bowl at my nose. "Old Master Sebastian said Old Nan is having barely any magic—that she is almost Squib—but Old Master was wrong. Old Nan is only using different magic. Miss Ari, you must _drink_."

"Ari, just drink the damn potion already," Ginny said exasperatedly. "Is this the kind of magic you have in Greece, do you think?"

I nodded jerkily—nodding isn't exactly a normal gesture for wolves—and lapped up the potion, wrinkling my nose. It burned my sinuses.

"But Ari said her magic doesn't work outside of Greece," Ginny said. "Why would that be if it's supposed to come from inside her?"

Cinders shrugged. "Perhaps her gift is too great and gods want her to stay. Gods is being jealous sometimes."

"It certainly doesn't seem out of character, from what she's told me," Ginny agreed. "That's really interesting, Cinders. Maybe it's a good thing you're coming with us."

"_Someone _is needing to take care of Miss Ari," Cinders sniffed.

"Quite right," Ginny agreed cheerfully. "Will Professor Flitwick mind you taking time off?"

"No, I is asking him right away when I sees you," Cinders said. "I is using my vacation days. Winky is _furious_."

Ginny laughed at the glee in Cinders' tone. I chuffed my own amusement. Winky sounded like an annoying biddy.

"Well, Hermione is about ready to go," Ginny said. "_I_ think she is, anyway, and Sirius agrees with me. She'll keep going for days if we let her. So why don't you go get something to eat while I drag her out of the library and then we can get out of here."

I sprang to my feet, but Cinders tugged me back down by my ear. I yelped indignantly and growled at her.

"Not until you is finished with your potion, Miss," Cinders said sternly.

You just wait, I thought darkly. Once we got to Greece, Cinders wouldn't find it quite so easy to boss me around. I had spent the past two years carefully not thinking about what I had left behind—the freedom, the beauty, the sheer power. But now, I let myself revel in the prospect of getting it all back. In Greece, very little was beyond my grasp. Which by rights should make a long journey by sea a snap, but I had the feeling this journey was more about the journey than the destination, if you know what I mean. So uber-cool magic, while still totally awesome, wouldn't really help me get to Apollo any faster. Sigh. But at least it would help me deal with anything trying to kill me along the way. I wanted to avoid a repeat performance of last night's shenanigans.

I hastily lapped up the remaining potion and followed Cinders through the corridors to the kitchens where I was presented with an astonishing array of raw meat. There was ox and pig and goat and lamb, all of which with various cuts to choose from and some still on the bone. It was _fabulous_. The best part was that none of the elves seemed to find it at all odd.

Cinders packed up a basket of food for the journey and we went back up to the Great Hall to wait for the others. They arrived with Hermione in tow, still frantically scribbling on the notepad in her hand while a book floated in front of her. She looked up as she approached and brightened when she saw Cinders. The book disappeared with a pop and Hermione shoved the notepad into the small beaded bag she carried.

"Ginny was just telling me about this magic you were telling her about," Hermione said to Cinders. "I was hoping I could ask you some questions when we get a free moment."

"Certainly, Miss Hermione," Cinders said, beaming up at her. "But our moments is not being free until Miss Ari is feeling better."

"Yes, quite," Hermione said, looking me over with something disturbingly like hunger in her eyes. "I know it must have been awful for you, Ari, but this is really a fascinating psycho-magical phenomenon. We should talk through it when we get—wherever it is we're going. It would make a really interesting case study."

"Just think, Ari," Ginny said. "You'll be immortalized in academia for being clinically wimpy."

"It would be completely anonymous," Hermione insisted.

"Come on," Sirius said. "If we're going, let's go. We need to get off the grounds before we Apparate."

"Speaking of which," Harry said. "Where are we Apparating to, exactly?"

"We'll Apparate to Athens," Hermione said. "There's an international Apparition point there. Then we'll Floo to Volos. From there, we'll have to get a cab or something. I'm assuming Ari's family isn't connected to the Floo network."

"I wouldn't think so," Ginny agreed. "Ari? Bark once for 'no, it's not' and twice for 'yes, it is'."

I glared at her and wagged my head slowly from side to side. Ginny was enjoying my predicament way too much. Enjoy it while you can, I thought gleefully, thinking of what awaited them. I didn't envy them their cab ride over the mountain, for which I most definitely would not being joining them. The roads, if you could even call them that, were much better suited to travelers of the four footed variety. I would go on my own four feet and probably still beat them there from Volos.

But I could revel in that prospect later—right now it was all I could do to keep from wiggling with joy like some dumb golden retriever. I couldn't quite contain myself once we reached the gates and I let out a long howl of joy, causing them to look at me in alarm. I danced around them in a circle, sneezing with delight. Despite everything, I was happier than I'd been in a long time. It was almost—almost—better than finding Draco at my front door.

I was going home.


End file.
